Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature

Legislative News and Views - Rep. Mike Sundin (DFL)

Back to profile

RELEASE: Rep. Sundin looks back on 2020 session, remains committed to supporting Minnesotans during COVID-19 crisis

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

SAINT PAUL – The 2020 Minnesota Legislative session adjourned for the year Sunday night. With the emergence of COVID-19, the session’s focus quickly shifted to directly addressing the public health and economic impacts of COVID-19. While some beneficial measures were passed into law, many solutions to deliver a brighter future for Minnesotans were blocked.

“Once the pandemic hit, we worked together to enact several helpful bills to address the health and economic impacts of COVID-19. I’m particularly proud we worked together – bringing labor and management to the table – to secure workers compensation coverage for front line workers if they become afflicted,” said Rep. Mike Sundin (DFL – Esko). “Unfortunately, the session ended without a bipartisan consensus on some major remaining items, like the local jobs and projects plan, broadband investments, and aid to cities and counties. We will keep working on these and other important measures to ensure Minnesotans can be safe and healthy as well as economically secure.”

Many of the session’s accomplishments relate to the state’s COVID-19 response. The Legislature delivered funding for public health, resources for health care workers, aid for child care, housing and food security, small business assistance and more. Lawmakers also approved a package of legislation providing flexibility and resources in a variety of areas during the crisis, including approval of wills and marriage licenses, expanded telemedicine, remote local government meetings, and alternative health care facilities. Should a frontline responder to the virus contract COVID-19, legislators also reached a consensus to better ensure these Minnesotans would receive workers’ compensation benefits.

Governor Walz also signed other important measures into law including the Alec Smith Emergency Insulin Act, the Prescription Drug Price Transparency Act, Tobacco 21 legislation to prevent youth smoking, and a bipartisan bill to protect the safety and security of elections.

Unfortunately, Republicans refused to agree to other key priorities important to Minnesotans and their communities, including a robust Jobs and Local Projects Plan, with funding for critical infrastructure priorities such as the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District, Twin Lakes Township’s water system, and the Carlton County Correctional Facility. Work remains on a COVID-19 Economic Security Agenda, which contains investments in high-speed broadband development. The proposal would invest $15 million in a new Distance Learning Broadband Access Grant Program, $10 million in the state’s Border-to-Border Broadband Grant Program to target to unserved areas, and $2 million in a new Telemedicine Equipment Reimbursement Grant Program to reimburse health care providers and counties.

A measure to distribute $600 million in new aid for cities, counties, and townships using federal CARES Act resources is awaiting an agreement to ensure communities can continue receiving the critical public services they count on. Under the House’s proposal – which largely delivers funds on a per-capita basis – Carlton County would receive $2.966 million, Cloquet would receive $636,765, Moose Lake would receive $144,093, the city of Carlton would receive $50,489, Scanlon would receive $51,160, and Barnum would receive $31,201. Rep. Sundin and House DFLers remain committed to enacting these and other important solutions and to protect Minnesotans’ health, wellbeing and, economic security.

Following adjournment, the House Select Committee on Minnesota’s Pandemic Response and Rebuilding will continue addressing COVID-19, engaging lawmakers and members of the public to review the federal and state responses to the pandemic and assess needed policy changes moving forward.